Fairies, Flowers, Friends...

Altering Plastic Containers, continued

So in my last post I was sharing how I wanted to find ways to reuse margarine, sour cream, salsa containers, you know, plastic tubs that often get thrown out because we end up with too many, even if we try to reuse them for crafts or whatnot.  Here are a couple pictures of my first finished piece (of course, nothing's ever finished -- I could always think of ways to glue buttons or other doodads on to decorate).  Actually the first pic isn't a finished product -- it shows how i added some coordinating ribbon.

 

This just shows how it can be used to hold a potted plant.  I didn't really have the right size plant to demonstrate, but you get the general idea! 

Then yesterday I started working on a sour cream container with lid.  For this container I am using just one pattern of paper, cut into strips, and I'm purposefully not matching the patterns together as I go...so it's unified and yet still varied...if that makes aaaany sense at all...?

What could a container like this be used for?  You could use it to store wrapped candies, buttons, rubber bands, scrapbooking paper scraps, dried herbs, tiny toys (think of Littlest Pet Shop and all that teeny stuff!), collections of stones, change, craft embellishments, cotton balls, small dog treats, spools of thread, crayons, etc!  And I know you could do all that without decorating it first...but how much nicer to have it be all pretty and maybe coordinated with your decor... Plus it's a fun and simple gift idea. 

Summer Summer Summer!

Okay, it's time for a Blog of Many Things, since I have a lot to catch up on.  First of all, hooray, it's summer!  I'm on summer vacation and finally the weather is behaving like it.  Meagan and I are thoroughly enjoying the freedom to do "whatever," without the pressure of grading papers or having to get up early the next morning.  And if the load of laundry doesn't get done today, who cares?  I..don't have to go to work...I just have to play on me drum all day....

OR, I can paint rocks.  That's what Meagan wanted to do the other day, so I went to the garage and found a handy bag of river rock, and we had a blast.  She used Crayola Kids' Paint, which really isn't great for rocks, but she didn't care -- and I was glad because it's WASHABLE... I used acrylics and gesso...

Meagan painted the same rock the whole time.  I think she invented several new colors.

I mixed green & yellow acrylic with gesso to make this cool color...I was going for a garden-green, but maybe I got more of a pistachio than I intended...Oh well!

 

Gesso'd the rocks, painted them, added letter stickers, and later I mod-podged them.

Other projects include drying rose petals.   My roses are absolutely prolific this year, and I try to gather each and every spent bloom in order to dry the petals.  I don't know if I'll keep that up all summer!  It's nice to use the rose petals for potpourri and I also throw them in packages I'm sending to friends in the mail.  You can also make rose petal dough!

Now, last but not least is my newest effort to be kind to the environment.  You know those plastic margarine tubs?  Well, there are only so many you can use for food storage (and don't even think about reheating with them in the microwave!  EW, toxic!)... So I've been racking my brains for cute ways to reuse the darn things.  Of course they are good as they are for storing simple little objects, to put under your cooking oils and other messy things in the kitchen cupboards, to use as paint palettes and water containers for kids' crafts, and so on and on and on. But I really wanted to make something useful and attractive with the containers -- and here's what I've come up with, so far. 

Decorative plant pot or holder:

I took 3 coordinating colors of scrapbooking paper and cut strips using my straight-cutter.  Then I Tacky Glued them on the container as shown, overlapping slightly and bending onto the bottom of the container.  The bottom could be covered with a coordinating circle of paper, if desired to hide the rough edges.

When the paper had dried I used glossy Mod Podge all over, and I put a hole in the bottom so it can be used to plant something.  I will cover the hole with a sticker or something if the container ends up not needing a hole (like the container could hold a small plant that's already in a pot, and the container would catch the drainage drips). 

Anyway, it's drying over here on my craft table, and the jury is still out as to whether or not the glossy Mod Podge was a good idea.  Maybe matte would have been better.  I might put a pretty ribbon around the top...and I'm thinking I should have painted the inside...BUT if someone was going to plant directly in the container, would the paint react strangely with the soil?  I dunno.  You can use any size container for this and any color combo or single color/pattern.  The strips could be narrower, or even wavy (I have a wavy cutter that makes 2 kinds of waves).  You could also use fabric, I suppose?  This will be a fun project for holdiay times -- I can see using Halloween themed papers or Xmas-themed papers... Imagine giving a poinsettia in a xmas-decorated container.

And that is Summer Summer Summer -- so far!

:) Nette

Really? I Need MORE Purple? :)

You Need Some Purple in Your Life

Purple will make you feel ambitious, independent, and creative. And with a little purple, you will project an aura of individuality. If you want more extravagance, you've got to get a little purple in your life! For extra punch: Combine purple with green or orange The downside of purple: It can evoke sad feelings The consequences of more purple in your life: You will feel an increase in your artistic abilities You will find balance in the most chaotic parts of your life You will feel calm and will be hard to disturb

What Color Do You Need?

My Friend the Dragonfly

Today was glorious and sunny, and I spent a decent amount of time outside either gardening or just hanging out...except when my allergies got the best of me, darn it.  But the best moment came when I noticed this huge dragonfly sitting on my wallflower.  I asked Meagan to go in and get the camera, but being four years old, she probably forgot what I had asked her, once she took 3 steps toward the door.  So I went to get the camera myself, and right then the dragonfly flew off.  Disappointed, I said to it, "Hey!  Don't go away!  Please come back!"  And it flew around for a second and then came right back to the same spot!  And it stayed and stayed and stayed and stayed.  I took tons of pictures of it, but here are the two that came out the best.

 

Later on, this guy flew around and around the back yard while Meagan and I tried to convince him to land on our hands.  He didn't comply, but it was cool nonetheless.

I really love dragonflies.  I call them "fairy spies."  I have a tattoo of one on my lower leg, and I consider the dragonfly to be one of my power animals. 

Last summer when I was in Santa Cruz, CA, I found this card at a local New Age shop.

The text inside says:  "All of us face challenging times when we must deal with the issues of illusion, falsehood, and deceit.  Sometimes these problems arise from our personal relationships or external situations, and sometimes we are the victims of our own self-deception.  Whatever the source of fraudulence may be, do not hesitate to call upon the Dragonfly Spirit for assistance, for it is vital to maintain a clear and truthful viewpoint in life.  Just as the shining wings of the Dragonfly reflect light into dazzling patterns of brightness and color, so may the light be conducted in your life, and made to reveal the true nature of things"  (Steven D. Farmer, PhD).

Art Journal page 9

It's been at least a couple months since I've worked in my art journal, and I've missed it.  I have been doing some other creative stuff, here and there, mostly traditional scrapbooking and digital scrapbooking.  I'll share some of that later -- after my Mom's birthday -- since part of what I'm working on is her present and I don't want to risk her seeing it early!  :)

This page started with a stark black background that I had prepared a long while back.  Then I used my Dabber acrylic paints on a borrowed spiral stamp and just did that randomly.  Next I used chalk pastels and blended with my finger.  Finally my thoughts came together, and I used some transfer letters for the writing.  It says, "Is the DARKNESS holding back the LIGHT?  or is the LIGHT shining through the DARKNESS **" 

The multi-colored transfers don't include question marks (how dumb)... but then I thought the asterisks implied a continuation of the thought...so they work, I guess. 

This page is about perspective....and balance.  Life keeps going (the spirals)...and you gotta take the dark with the light -- or else, how would you know it's light??

First Blooms!

 Yesterday I got home from work and found that my Aphrodite rose had bloomed!  The day before, she was simply covered with buds, some of them showing hints of the deep pink inside.  Then suddenly -- 5, 6, maybe 7 full blooms were out, along with myriad partial ones and zillions of buds still to open!

She is an "almost wild" variety that I planted a couple years ago in honor of the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite.  Her thorns are small -- but deceptive!  Ouch!  And the petals she provides are soft and luxuriant.

Inspired by my friend Amy ("Magical Musings") -- I decided to mess around with the colors in this close-up crop.  The deep pink is definitely Aphrodite's color, but I also love purples...so I thought I'd have a little fun:

Ah!  now that one might need to be framed and hung in my bedroom!  Dontcha love how the stamens turned pink?  Anyway!  Have a great day!

Meagan's 4th Birthday!

This was Birthday part one, as far as parties go.  We went to Red Robin with my Mom and Meagan's godparents:  Miki & Roger, and their son Ryan (who says he is going into 7th grade next year, but I don't believe him -- cuz that means I am getting really and truly old).  Meagan got some cute little "flower houses" from Miki & Rog & Ryan -- they are like little dollhouses that look like flowers, and you actually plant real seeds in the toy and the plants grow to surround the houses... like fairy-land.  How cool!  Meagan also got a princess tiara & crown from my Mom, a ball, and lots of other things including a box of Her Very Own Paper Clips.  She loves paper clips. 

When we first got there, Meagan kept looking at the statue of the Red Robin and talking about him... and then lo and behold, who showed up?  Red himself!  (Or herself -- I have no idea who was in the costume).  But it was great...Meagan wasn't at all shy around him.  She gave him High-Five, she got a hug, a birthday song, all the things that good Red Robin parties are made of!  And she got a hot-fudge sundae, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

This weekend we are going to the coast with my Dad and stepmom -- so that will be Birthday part two!  What a lucky little girl.

Meagan likes getting her picture taken, and of course I have to show it to her right afterwards.

"Four Years Old"

And the Garden Keeps Growing!

What beautiful weather we've been having!  Granted, it's really too hot, in the nineties...but I'm not going to complain too much cuz we have been lacking sun for soooo long.  The flowers are going insane, and so I just had to post more pics of what's happening out in my garden.

My friend Lola in Kentucky send out pics of her irises last week and it made me really antzy for mine to bloom -- well, guess what?  They're heeeere!  So beautiful!  And it's so sad cuz I know they only last a week or so...but that's okay, we will enjoy them while they are here.

I know I already shared pictures of my lupines and wallflower, but I love them so much I have to share again.  And the bees adore the wallflower!  I love sitting close to it and just staring into the flowers...eventually I notice all the many insects that are hanging out in there, gathering pollen or just enjoying life. 

In addition, here come more violas.  Believe me, this is just the beginning -- soon they will be everywhere.  And in the foreground there?  That's a tiny lupine!  The darn things grew originally from seed and now they are spreading, spreading, spreading.  Doesn't bother me!  They are so lovely. 

Also -- the first roses have bloomed!  It's a miniature white rose, and it's the only one so far... although all my other rose bushes (okay, most of them) are covered in buds.  I absolutely adore roses! They honor my Lady Aphrodite.

And gardening has been happening indoors, as well.  We were feeling lazy last night so we had Burgerville for dinner -- and with the kids' meal right now they are giving seed packets with a biodegradable pot!  Meagan got a packet of pea seeds... And she knew just what to do!  I'm assuming she has learned this at preschool, cuz I sure as heck have never taught her how to plant things in a pot.  It's a strange feeling when your child starts to learn things without you... But I digress!  She filled the pot with dirt, put in the seeds (ahem, yes, ALL of them...oh well), and covered them up.  Then she watered them, with a little help from Mommy since she can't quite water slowly enough to keep from washing them clean out of the pot!  It will be a lot of fun watching them start to sprout... but I'm not even going to think about putting them into the garden until we get some cooler weather in the forecast.  This heat would shrivel them instantly!

Now I'll leave you with a picture of my Kuan Yin bell and its friend the sedum (not blooming right now).  Kuan Yin is a Boddhisattva -- she achieved enlightenment but chose not to move on to Nirvana because she wanted to remain and help others.  Kuan Yin is "she who listens to the cries of the world."  So in closing, let me offer a prayer to the Lady of Compassion:  Dear Goddess, your children cry out to you from China, Myanmar, and so many other places in this world.  Send them peace, merciful Lady, and where injustice is the culprit, send your dragon to set things right. So mote it be.

This is a Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain figure of Kuan Yin (Guanyin).

Have a great day!

:) Annette

Catching Up: Mother's Day, the Garden, and a Flea

Mother's Day was a lot of fun....strange, but fun.  If you don't have kids, this will indeed seem bizarre -- but one nice part of Mother's Day was that I had a few hours without my child!  Just a few hours to lounge around and watch what I wanted to watch on Tivo (not worrying about it being too sad, too violent, too whatever)... But the even nicer part was when she was home, and we were hanging out together, enjoying our morning.  She relaxed in bed with me for a while, and then my well-trained daughter went out to my husband and ordered, "Coffee for Mama!"  Good girl!

Soon it was time for her to go to church.  My Mom takes her to church quite often -- and Meagan is quite the center of attention since she's one of the only children who A) behaves herself and B) participates in the service (i.e. kneeling when supposed to, clapping along with the songs, etc).  I have no problem with her going to church -- heck, I was raised going to church, and I chose my own path when I was ready.  Who knows where hers will take her -- but for now she's learning about music, social behavior, and being Nice to Others.  Nothing wrong with that, eh?

One question might be, what is she holding in that photo?  Obviously, it's an inflatable steering wheel!  Hahaha.  Yes, it's part of her big pop-up fire engine thingie that we haven't gotten out in a looooong time.  The other thing she's holding is a piece of my pajama pants.  They had a hole in them anyway -- and since Meagan loves holding them as a security object, I chopped them into 5 pieces that she still calls "Mommy's Pants."  I know, we are a strange family...

And here are the gifts I gave my Mom for Mother's Day.  Purple tulips.  A whole bunch of candy (in that cone-shaped thing).  Incense (lavender, of course).  She loved it!

Speaking of purple, my garden is really starting to go nuts, with a little help from the neighbors!  Our back neighbors have a wonderful lilac tree that has grown over the fence, so basically we share it.  And it looks great with my predominantly-purple color scheme!  The wallflower is going insane -- in fact, I don't think the darn thing ever died back this winter.  And the lupines are huge and popping open all over... Plus the irises are about to bloom.  I can't wait!  A few more violas and pansies have appeared -- it won't be long before my garden is carpeted with them.  Hooray!

Also I got this "fairy bridge" from a catalog that my Gramma gets...it's some cheap made-in-China crap, but I thought it was cute anyway, and I gotta admit it looks really sweet out there....

Last, I gotta tell you about The Flea's Sneeze. It's a very cute kids' picture book with great rhymes and sweet illustrations.  I have to read it Every Night before Meagan goes to bed, and she has the darn thing pretty much memorized.  The story goes that none of the animals in the barn hear the poor flea cough and sniffle and ask for a tissue....but when he sneezes, they ALL wake up!

 

Amy's Awesome Beltane Post

Today is May 1st, or May Day, or Beltane, or Beltaine, or any number of spellings.  My friend Amy posted a great blog all about this holy day, so I hope she doesn't mind me sharing the link:

http://magicalmuse.typepad.com/magical_musings/2008/04/beltane.html

While you're there, you should wander around and check out her altered books and journals -- plus her Etsy shop!

Today's Card: 9 of Pentacles

Blessed Beltane to all!

9 of Pentacles – Tarot of a Moon Garden 

5/1/08

My initial reaction to a 9 is positive…and pentacles are earth-based:  shelter, home, money, wealth, and health.  With nines I think of the 9 of wands, which is a positive card for me because the person on the card is “backed up” by 8 companions, who I think of as my sisters.  In the pentacles…I wonder. 

Nines can also hearken back to the Hermit, who is all about pausing on one’s path, and introspection.

In the Moon Garden Tarot, there’s a garden gate…closed, and on it sits a peacock.  The 9 pentacles float in the air beyond.  Foliage and flowers grow all around, but mostly inside the gate.

I don’t see the way as blocked here… I see it as “almost there.”  A peacock to me symbolizes luck – I’m not sure what other meanings that animal carries.  So…with luck I can get through this gate to…my goal?  Or…I am just about there, because of good fortune? 

In addition, the crescent moon floats in the background, beyond the pentacles.  Perhaps there is something more spiritual here, as well as the material goods.  Goddess guides me on the path?  It’s a waxing moon…expectation and drawing things to you.

The book says:  “The Nine of Pentacles is a card of personal accomplishment.  Achievement arrives on its highly principled and discriminating path.  The high road is a lonely avenue, but with it comes mastery.  The Seeker receives a premium of spiritual and material abundance, although it is the path or journey that is the true reward however solitary.  This same path may take the Seeker away from family and loved ones who will never aspire to the same heights.” (page 139)

Compare in the Greenwood Deck.

Compare in the Roots of Asia Deck.

Compare in the Robin Wood Deck.

A Blog of Many Things

I was going through some photos earlier -- and taking some more -- and I realized I have a bunch of little things to blog about.  So here they are -- all together in one post. 

First of all, Earth Hour.  A friend and her daughter came over, and we ended up doing an impromptu ritual to bless the Earth.  It was really fun!  Meagan stood at the west and did a great job of calling and dismissing the element of Water (with a little help from Mommy, of course). 

Here's a picture of our altar without the flash.

Next we have my daughter, the chef.  She loves the Disney movie Ratatouille, and she was pretty obsessed with it for a while.  She loves to pretend she's cooking, just like Remy the Rat in the movie.  So one day I said, "Want to make soup?"  Of course she did.  So I put vegetable broth in a pan and let her add frozen veggies and some herbs de Provence (just a pinch).  She thought she was so grown up.  And surprise surprise, the soup was actually pretty good -- especially with a healthy pinch of Parmesan cheese!

Moving right along to one of my latest projects -- My Shadow Journal. 

My online Tarot group is working through Tarot Shadow Work -- Using the Dark Symbols to Heal, by Christine Jette.  One of the sisters had the idea of making a shadow journal in lieu of, or in addition to, a shadow altar.  So I decided to make an altered book as my journal.  Here you see the dedication page in progress -- Black acrylic paint for the background, silver swirls...and then all sorts of pictures printed from the Internet of things that I would put on an altar if I was making a physical one for my shadow work:  Hecate, an amethyst, a carnelian, garlic, rose quartz, yarrow, a spider, tiger's eye, clear quartz, and a pentacle.

Still moving right along -- this next picture is of...cereal.  Yep.  One morning I poured myself a bowl of Frosted Shredded Wheat, and something thrilling popped out of the box:

That's right.  FOUR of the shredded wheats were stuck together.  I've seen 2 stuck together before, but FOUR?  Maybe I should send this photo to the Guiness Book of World Records.  Okay, I'm kidding.  But these are the sorts of things that really make my day.  Small pleasures, you know?

And finally:  My garden.  Ah, spring is truly here and my garden is really waking up.  Today I put Buddha back where he belongs -- I had removed him while we were attempting to sell the house in case he'd offend someone (whatever)... The house has been off the market for ages but I just kept forgetting about him, poor guy.  Anyway, I can tell he's happy to be back.

Also, today I spotted the first Johnny Jump-ups (Violas).  Soon my garden will be covered with them, along with pansies.  The violas came from somewhere, I certainly didn't plant them -- they just appeared one year and spread and spread.  They self-seed really well, and they're so cute you just can't get mad at them for being all over the place.

Last but not least, can you help me identify this plant?  I keep thinking it's wormwood which has spread from the main plant, but I'm not sure.  I looked up pictures of wormwood and didn't see any with this yellow and green shading...

Here's a close-up of the mystery plant:

And here's a farther-away pic...

You can see my altar stone up there with the mini-cauldron on it.  Just below that is a healthy tuft of green plant that I'm quite certain is wormwood... What I'm not sure of is whether the more yellowish-green bits are the offshoots of the main plant.  It definitely did spread...but I'm just not sure .  (The other green plant there next to the wormwood is columbine, and above that is my very pathetic hydrangea, which somehow keeps surviving but never doing much).

So, that's it!  I must go and tend to my daughter who really needs a nap.  In fact, I think I'll take one too...

:) Annette

Nothing Gold Can Stay

This is my favorite poem for spring.  Even now, many of our first spring leaves are "gone," having darkened and deepened already, approaching their summer coloring.  But a few are still hanging on with that beautiful, fresh, new golden-green that simply cannot stay.

I know this poem is supposed to be a comment on the fleeting life-span of humanity, but I prefer it as a snapshot of spring's beauty.  And the nice thing is -- we know that Nature's first green will return, year after year.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Robert Frost

Tarot Blog Ring

Hermgirl's Tarot Blog Ring
Power By Ringsurf

Card for Today: 7 of Swords

Back to school & reality.  New moon...I need to get moving on my Shadow work.  I need to make time for meditation.

Card for today = 7 of Swords, from the Tarot of the Crone.

A blue triangle or pyramid in the background.  Focus on power...bringing power/knowledge from heaven to earth.  7 eyes all focused on one point on the pyramid.  Hmmm.  Sevens hearken to the Chariot -- motivation, action, in charge of one's own life.  Swords = air = intellect...

The manual reminds me that it's also about Imagination, and the seven eyes are "leaping" from that one point in all different directions.  Where I saw focus, the manual speaks of divergence -- but since I want my focus to be on my Shadow work, I find that focus and divergence go hand in hand...

Looking at traditional meanings for this card I find a lot of negative associations -- and indeed, when I see Swords come up in a reading I tend to think, "Uh-oh."  Looking back in my cyber-journal I find a lengthy entry copied from an online sister of mine, back when she was repeatedly drawing Swords...and she drew, one particular day, the 7 of Swords.  The most interesting part to me is when she looks at the card in the Wheel of Change deck -- which is not a traditional deck, by the way (she looks at several decks).  This card emphasizes Communication, which is an aspect of Swords I often forget.  In reading what Genetti (the author) writes about this card, I can really see my Shadow work -- communication from the past into the future.  And also a warning -- we often fail to listen because we either think we already know what is going to be said or we don't want to hear it.  To me, that is very much a Shadow-work warning!  Watch out, cuz you might discover the totally unexpected, OR what you expect is staring you in the face, so FACE it!

P.S.  In my online Tarot group, we are working with Tarot Shadow Work by Christine Jette.

Art Journal Page 8 -- Control

Here's my 8th page -- I've had a bit of a dry spell recently, but I feel that I'm coming back to life finally.  This page is acryllic paint, scrapbook papers, arrow die-cuts, magazine clips, paint pen, and Sharpie.  In case you can't make out the written text, it says, "OR, more likely, DO THE BEST YOU CAN.  You can measure your life in coffee spoons, but sometimes they spill!"  And thank you, T.S. Eliot. :)

What Famous Leader Are You?

Another time-waster...but oh well, enjoy!

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Tarot Card for Today: The Fool

Today I pulled a card from my Crone Tarot bag, saying to the Universe:  Guide my hand to choose the card I need to see today.  I pulled the Fool.  What a surprise!  If I had pulled the Fool a week ago, I would have put it right back and pretended it never happened.  Last thing I wanted to see over the past week or so is anything to do with a leap of faith or enthusiasm.  I have been feeling the absolute antithesis of faith and enthusiasm lately.  BUT in the past day or two, I’ve turned a corner and am starting to feel like I can face the world again…face myself, face my responsibilities… Seeing the Fool was a bit of a shock… heck, at least it wasn’t the Tower.  Not sure I could have dealth with that! 

Anyway… The point is, the Fool in the Crone Tarot is very comforting to me.  I know that if I go ahead and venture into that great blue unknown, her dark and soft cloak is still there, nearby, to shelter me.  I know also that it can be a warning – don’t go blundering ahead without looking, silly!  I know, I know.  I think this past week or two have taught me some lessons in overdoing it.  I over did it, and I paid the price – hence, I have a disastrously messy house and lots of undone tasks, and I’ve spent more time sleeping over the past couple weeks than I really have a right to… But I digress.  I’m looking ahead now.  I’ve been more energetic this week and able to get things done.  Next week is spring break so I have time off, and I WILL get caught up on chores and other tasks.  I will also sleep – not the sleep of the depressed but the sleep of the person who is taking time to rest and recuperate, in a healthy way, not to avoid life but to revive in order to live it better.

Here’s the meaning from the Crone manual:  The Cloak of the Crone is all you hear, all you see, all you know of your everyday world. Only a

Fool would try to see what lies beneath. Only a Fool abandons the known for the unknown and perhaps

unknowable. Only a Fool risks becoming lost in the Void, becoming a tiny star in endless space.

A force beyond your small self opens a new space in your soul. You are impelled to start on a new

path. One in which you cannot predict the final destination, or possibly even the next step, but feels

inevitable all the same. Can you truly trust the Universe? In the Void, where there is no up and no down,

you can do nothing else. Remember there is a part of you that wants this, that welcomes it, because it

knows becoming formless and timeless is what you need to create a new future.

See what I mean?  Up until a day or so ago, this card would have scared the sh*t out of me.  But today, I feel ready for the Fool.  I welcome her…with a bit of trepidation, but also excitement. 

From Tarot.com (hey, I spent 5 Karma Coins to get this!):  You inhabit that transitional world between the past and the future.

The card in the Self position reveals aspects of how you perceive yourself right now.

The Fool is associated with circumstances that are unique, unpredictable, inscrutable -- one who is suspended between realities. The Fool is often portrayed as an empty headed simpleton unaware of the forces that move him to and fro, following his impulses. But tradition tells us that this Fool has a secret that protects him: the magic of synchronicity.

He proceeds without calculation, spontaneously, without hesitation or resistance. If you trust in your own mystery and that of Divine Providence, you can step into a new realm of opportunities. For now, trust your instincts. If you have no expectations, you have nothing to lose.

Hmmm, I’m not sure I like that very last line… It seems a bit negative… But putting a positive spin on it, I guess I’ll be open to whatever is to come!

I also looked at the card in the Motherpeace Tarot.  The LWB doesn’t have much to say… I suppose I need to spend the money and get the bigger book.  But the imagery is fun and hopeful, for the most part…although I do get a sense of recklessness from the card, especially with the alligator right there and that vulture looking down upon the Fool kinda like, “Hmm, lunch?”  Anyway, I think this particular card merits more study… And overall, I’m pleased to see The Fool today.  In the end, it’s all about perspective anyway, right?

Uruz -- the second rune

Uruz  means "aurochs," which is a type of European cattle (there's those cows again!), now extinct.  I didn't realize they were extinct!  But Wikipedia says that the last recorded aurochs died in 1627 in Poland.  I later found out it didn't merely "die," it was shot.  That's horrid.  Anyway, I also realized why I knew about aurochs...aurochses?  It was from the RTS game Age of Empires.  When you're playing in primitive times you can hunt them... Funny, the products of my mis-spent youth.  Anyway... Aurochs are depicted in many Paleolithic European cave paintings, including Lascaux, France.  Apparently the huge horns of the aurochs were once used to make drinking vessels.

In divination, Uruz can mean strength, the kind associated with adaptability and resourcefulness.  It can also mean critical change, with success IF you can harness Uruz's strength, determination, and power.  Its energy is the masculine life-force, so depending on the querent and the question, Uruz might indicate male virility.

From runemaker.com:

"You have the strength within you to fulfill all your dreams, but with strength comes responsibility.  Strength is not a force to wield over others, but a force to stop others exerting power over you..."

Reverse:  "Failure to think clearly.  Ill-health or lack of mental fortitude.  Beware signs of weakness or threats to your person or position."

Runic number = 2

Numerology number = 3?

Color = dark green

Element = earth?

Deity:  Thor, Urdl

Sign:  Taurus?    Leo?

Tarot card:  Chariot?  Strength?

Gem:  Carbuncle (what the heck is that?  A rich, red stone that [mythically] emits its own light).

"Danger & Force -- I do face, and win..."

If anyone can help me with Uruz's correspondences, I'd be grateful.  I found a lot of conflicting info.  Thanks!

Fehu -- The First Rune

I've decided to gradually learn the Norse runes.  This site shows all the runes and talks about mnemonic devices you could use in order to try to memorize them -- at least, as far as their names and order.  For their meanings, well, that will take a bit longer.  So I'm starting at the beginning, with Fehu.

Fehu means "cattle," which is why it is the first rune.  Cattle as symbols of wealth come first in some alphabets, as they do in the Phoenician, Hebrew, & Greek.

Color:  Red (sometimes brown...for cattle)

Number:  1 = runic number, 6 = numerological value? I'm not sure -- but this makes sense when you see the sign/planet association.

Planet:  Venus

Month:  May

Sign:  Taurus

Flower:  Lily of the Valley

Deity:  Frejya

Tarot card:  Empress (which I would have associated with Berkana, but maybe I'll figure out more about that as I study more).

The rune is linked to the mythological original cow Auohumla (imagine the "o" having that little Norse X above it), who created our universe by licking (melting) the original universal ice!  Aren't creation myths fun?

One site said to remember this rune, think of two horns of a cow sticking through a fence.  But this doesn't match with some in-depth translations which call it the Hornless Cow.  More info here.

This rune means wealth, reward, generosity, ownership...also a beginning, or an emotional/romantic gain (new lover, etc).